Time Will Tell
by Thally
Summary: The story of a young goddess who has yet to discover herself and the Heavens, and how she gets involved with Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and the rest of the cast. Some grammar errors corrected, Chapter 4 Uploaded!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Keiichi, Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and any other OMG character. I only own Leamen and her parents. I don't own the werewolf/wolf- beings concept either, which is a concept that is probably older than I am. Many thanks to Senbei Liz Holt for their help! ^-^  
  
Prologue  
  
She ran, cradling the small bundle of purple blankets in which was her only child, Leamen. Away from the heavens, away from him. Bil, God of the Moon. How foolish she had been. Zukkie stopped for a few seconds to catch her breath. She loosened her tail from her waist; it was one of those times where she found her Lupi-jin traits rather annoying.  
  
"I will never leave her with him.Never!" she though as she looked down at her child.  
  
The small infant had large blue eyes that were as deep as any ocean, and dark blue hair. Her hair had many long spikes, surrounding the child's face, making her look like a weird sun. But, the most noticeable things about that baby, was the fact that, out of the blanket covering the little body, stuck a blue and white, fluffy tail, and on her face were strange markings. The symbol on her forehead resembled a drop of water, and two long triangles were at the corner of her eyes.  
  
The baby resembled her mother on many aspects. Zukkie also had a few spikes of hair; but unlike Leamen's, they didn't stand up. Zukkie's hair was cut short, but a thin, long ponytail left untouched spoke of her status in her tribe; the Alpha female. Zukkie's eyes were less round than her daughter's, but they seemed to hold a warmth that dissipated the fear that her cat-like yellow eyes inspired.  
  
Leamen was getting fussy, she felt her mother's concern and nervousness. Zukkie gently tried to hush her, calm her down, but there was no time. They were closing in on her.  
  
Zukkie resumed running. She knew she could get away through one of the gates that were used as a meaning of transportation for gods and goddesses, when they needed to travel to other realms.  
  
"Where are those gates.." she pondered.  
  
She scanned the area as fast and as well as she could while running.  
  
That's when she spotted a short, purple-haired goddess, who was about to step into a pink pillar of light.  
  
Zukkie tightened her hold on her baby and ran straight for it, thinking she'd knock the deity over, to get in before she did.  
  
Twenty feet.fifteen feet.ten feet.  
  
She'd done it! Zukkie could finally get away from all of them.. She could feel freedom greeting her and her daughter with arms wide open.. But she was stopped dead in her tracks as two celestial guards seemed to pop out of nowhere, right between herself and her only getaway, the gate.  
  
The purple-haired goddess gave them a quick glance, stepped hastily into the pillar, and could be seen floating down.and it was getting paler as the goddess disappeared from sight.  
  
"Hand over the baby, Lupi-jin, she belongs with us." Said the first guard, pointing his Val-Haid staff right at her.  
  
"No way! There's absolutely NO way I'm leaving my baby here!" Zukkie yelled.  
  
"Do not resist us, or we will have t---"  
  
His sentence was cut short by the fact that Zukkie's foot had smashed in his face, as her fluffy black tail hit his arm, disarming him. The other guard jumped in, but was soon sent flying by a swift punch to the jaw. She heard them calling for help as she ran to the vanishing gate.  
  
Zukkie clutched Leamen close to her, and jumped in the gate, just before it would close. She breathed a sigh of relief as she slowly floated down to the realm of Earth.  
  
Zukkie quickly noticed the darkening sky, as the day took its toll. She landed in the middle of a thick forest, and as soon as she set foot on the ground she quickly kneeled and set her baby on the ground and checked her over.  
  
Leamen looked fine as she cooed at her mom, her little tail wagging a bit; she too seemed relieved to be safe. Zukkie's dog-like ears twitched as she listened to her environment. The woman could tell there was a village of some sort nearby.  
  
Zukkie thought about what she should do; there was no way they would let them be, they'd surely come after her and her baby. Luckily for the both of them, night had come, and its darkness would keep her from being seen. The Lupi-jin sniffed the air again, wanting to be sure of which direction to take; she definitely smelt humans.  
  
It took her about ten minutes to reach the small suburb town. She looked around carefully and came out on the street when the coast was cleared. Zukkie made her way to the first house she saw. It wasn't too big, but not too small either. Zukkie sniffed the air again.Her sense of smell picked up two human beings. A male and a female. There wasn't any other human scent; it seemed it was a couple living alone.  
  
She clutched Leamen to her, and walked silently to the porch of the house. She set her child down and watched her for a moment. The baby just looked at her and smiled, then held out her hands to be picked up. Zukkie's heart broke, instead of picking her up she gently stroked her face and rubbed her thumb on her daughter's forehead marking. It glowed slightly in response to the touch... Zukkie then took out a piece of paper that resembled parchment. She balled her right fist hard so that her palms would bleed, and she wrote Leamen's name on the parchment with her bloody fingers, and put the paper beside the child. She then took a deep breath, and gave three good knocks on the door, before darting out of the way, heading back to the forest without looking back. Even though she was far away, Zukkie heard the surprised reaction of a woman when she opened the door, the heard the door closing. Zukkie wiped a few tears from her cheeks, and headed deep through the forest, hoping for the best and that her daughter would lead a wonderful life with her new parents. 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: See the prologue.  
  
Author's note: I've been notified that the term of Lupi-jin caused some confusion; sorry! "Lupi" is the Latin word for wolf, and the -jin part means "person" or "being".. Hope it clears things up! ^-^  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Ichiro and his wife Ayame were busy packing boxes, being careful not to break anything. It was about four thirty in the afternoon, and the weather was getting very hot around this time of year.  
  
"Phew, we're almost done, Ichiro," said Ayame. She wasn't as tall as her husband Ichiro, but she almost reached him with her five feet and six inches. Her short, blond dyed hair glistened in the sunlight, and Ichiro admired her features, which time had yet to alter. She did not look her thirty-nine years old.  
  
"Thank God, I can't stand this heat anymore," answered Ichiro to his wife. He wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Ichiro was an ordinary looking forty-year-old, rather well built. He was not extremely tall for a man, he was about five feet and eight inches tall. His eyes were of a gentle brown, his hair neatly cut, and he had a little mustache that his wife and daughter kept telling him to shave.  
  
Leamen. Their precious daughter. Nothing had brought them more happiness in their lives than their daughter. Ichiro was devastated when he learned that Ayame was sterile. They prayed, and hoped so much for a child, it had broken them.  
  
Until one night, on a chilly November 1st . Someone had knocked at the door. Ayame had opened it; and to his surprise, he heard her call him to the lobby. He found her holding a smiling, lively baby girl. Since that fateful day, they had raised her as their own, even though she was different. They had yet to tell Leamen that she wasn't their biological child, but they suspected she knew it, for obvious reasons.  
  
Ichiro was pulled out of his reverie when he heard the front door of their house open. "I'm hooooome! Hello Mom! Dad!" chimed Leamen, backpack swung over her shoulder, carrying her skateboard as she went to them. "I'm so glad the week is over! It's been rather long!" said Leamen as she noticed the packed cardboard boxes.  
  
Ayame smiled at her daughter's look. "We're moving out this weekend, remember? Tomorrow, in fact," she answered. "I know that you were kind of looking forward to it.. I know that--" she said, eyeing her child, but she cut her sentence.  
  
The girl had somehow tensed slightly, as this was a subject that always made her uncomfortable.  
  
"Leamen, honey, you know that we don't care about what others think." retorted her father, trying to get her to ease up her tension a little. It didn't seem to work, for at that, Leamen lowered her eyes, and quietly walked to her bedroom, or what was left of it. "I.. I'll go finish packing up.later." she said quietly.  
  
***  
  
Leamen looked at herself quietly in the mirror of her small bedroom, the only object remaining, with her bed, alarm clock and nightstand in the middle of the packed, crammed boxes. She sighed heavily as she turned around, watching herself.  
  
Leamen was indeed quite.. special. Her hair was the color of the sky, with many rough spikes in it. No matter how hard she had tried to get rid of them, they wouldn't stay down like the rest of her hair. Her eyes were also blue, sometimes darker, or lighter than her hair; it often depended on her emotions, or sometimes even the weather could affect their color. She rubbed her face with her sleeve, staining it with skin colored makeup, revealing strange purplish markings on her face. She had tried rubbing them off many times in her life, often bruising her skin in the process, but to no avail. The big marking on her forehead resembled a drop of water, and two rather long triangles were at the corners of her eyes. They exasperated her, but at least she could hide them with makeup everyday. There was but one thing she really hated about herself: her acute senses of smell and hearing. She often heard and smelt things she would rather not know about. Smelling people's strong emotions, like fear, or even arousal, wasn't what she really enjoyed in life, since it only succeeded in embarrassing her. The young woman also often tried to distract herself when she was in very crowded areas, because she heard about every conversation around her. Leamen remembered that one time, when she was about seven, she was waiting for the teacher to unlock the classroom, and she had heard two kids whispering about her, and they were at the other end of the hall. There was also this boy when she was in high school, which kept whistling at every girl he saw passing by, and when he whistled at her, she came close to punching him because the high-pitched sound hurt her head.  
  
But the worst part of her anatomy was the tail. It was the color of her hair on top and slightly paler underneath, and it was about a foot and a half long. She had been called many names because of it: Dog-girl, Mutt- brains.you name it. Her parents had tried to get her in surgery to get it removed, but it could not be done due to a bone issue. There seemed to be extra bones and lots of nerves at the area near the base of the tail, and those elements interlocked and mixed so tightly that the surgeons were afraid that removing it would cause more damage to the girls body than actually making things better. Trying to hide her tail wasn't any better either. It would only make a big bump under her skirt or in her jeans, and the fact that it seemed to react according to her emotions wasn't of any help. So she just let it loose through the hole she'd made for it to go through.  
  
A scraping sound was heard at the door, pulling her out of her thoughts. Leamen went to open it to let Nikkou in. Nikkou was an old black dog, there were streaks of grey hair around her muzzle and ears. They didn't exactly know her race; Nikkou was a stray black dog they got at an animal refuge for Leamen when she turned four years old. Poor Nikkou didn't have that much time left, as she was already 15 years old. She'd be 16 soon.  
  
Leamen sat on her bed and made room for Nikkou and then helped her to jump on the mattress; and the young girl soon returned to her distressed thoughts.  
  
Nikkou sat beside her quietly, only panting a bit once in a while, and then she lay her head on Leamen's lap, sensing her master's emotional distress. Leamen fought tears back as she stroked the dog's rough fur, finding comfort in her old companion.  
  
***  
  
About an hour later, Ayame knocked on Leamen's door softly.  
  
"Leamen, dinner's ready.. Hurry up or it'll be cold, " she said through the door.  
  
There was no reply, but she heard the shuffling of paws and feet on the floor. The door opened and Leamen stepped out lightly, looking rather down. She went to the kitchen while Nikkou headed for her own food and she sat down at the low table; Leamen didn't eat much, she only toyed around absently with her food. Her father looked up and sighed.  
  
"Are you okay Leamen? You seem concerned about something.." Ichiro asked, concern dripping from his tone. Her parents always knew when something bothered her. During those times Leamen would look depressed, and worse, she wouldn't eat.  
  
"No, no, nothing's happened.. I was just wondering.. I.." she sighed at this. "Nevermind, Dad, I'm okay." she answered, and she started eating, with little appetite.  
  
***  
  
Leamen helped her mom clear the dishes when dinner was over, and they all packed the last objects that needed to be packed, such as chopsticks, glasses, cups and the occasional forks and knives.  
  
She returned to her room, at around twenty-five past ten in the evening, carrying a two-litre bottle of Pepsi. Leamen eyed it carefully. Her mom kept telling her that she'd get sick from drinking the stuff all the time. Leamen would laugh and tell her that she was fine everytime. She chuckled silently to herself and opened the bottle and took a sip. She didn't know why she was so addicted to Pepsi, she just was. Coffee comforted her too, but she hated the bitter taste. It usually cheered her up, and made her feel better. " Yeah, talk about some medicine, " she thought to herself. Leamen then went to the door, leaving it slightly open in case Nikkou would want to come in.  
  
She looked at her alarm clock, which still wasn't packed. It was now five past eleven PM. She couldn't sleep. She felt too anxious, happy, and sad about the next day. She'd be leaving her hometown tomorrow.True, she wouldn't lose many friends, but she was sick of this place, and she truly hoped the people at Nekomi Institute of Technology would give her memories she could cherish.  
  
" Might as well go shower. " Leamen thought, " might help me sleep better afterwards."  
  
The girl got up from the bed, got some clean underwear from her boxes and a clean, rather large, T-shirt that had once belonged to her dad. She then headed quietly towards the bathroom. Nikkou got up at the sound and went to her in the hallway. Leamen crouched in front of her and scratched behind her ears, before getting up and entering the bathroom.  
  
She opened the light and dimmed it as she entered the tiny room. She rubbed her eyes a little, then quickly got undressed and got in the tub, which doubled as a shower. Leamen put the water as hot as it could go, putting the shower on, hoping it'd burn and wash her troubles away, and enjoyed its rather stinging heat on the skin of her bare back.  
  
***  
  
He shifted his position on his chair, watching her through his waterpool. That pool was rather nice to look into the realm of Humans, but he couldn't wait; he was getting very sick of his situation..  
  
" Soon enough," he thought to himself.  
  
His thoughts suddenly drifted back to reality as he saw her getting up from bed and going to the bathroom, carrying some clothes.  
  
She was going to take a shower! What a nice opportunity!  
  
Those were his last thoughts before he got a huge nosebleed; she had just taken off her clothes and turned the water on. He watched her carefully, his cheeks red, a tissue stuck in his left nostril, as her skin turned slightly red, he guessed the water was way too hot. The man was about an inch away from his pool of water, watching her wash the curves of her feminine body. He noticed her looking up at some point, a confused look on her face, and then subtly turning away from his view.  
  
" Interesting woman, " he said out loud, as he noticed her tail, confirming it was the right girl he was observing. Not to say that he didn't enjoy watching any other girl showering.  
  
He groaned as something stirred inside him. That wretched goodness in him.  
  
He made a little face when he saw the water stop running, probably from annoyance or deception, or perhaps both.  
  
He waved his hand above the bassin, and it went blank as the girl wrung most of the water from her soaking, long blue hair and put her clothes on.  
  
" Indeed, very interesting. "  
  
End of Chapter 1 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A booming voice was heard in the distance…and the girl couldn't move. She felt like she was being carried. It felt nice; it felt warm…an agitated heartbeat. Panting, lots of panting. Voices, again. A bright pink light, then a gentle and caring face looking down at her….

She was then walking on a single path, with nothing she could recognise around it. As her eyes strained to try and gather in her surroundings, she heard a small noise behind her, as if someone was following her. Turning around, her eyes rested upon a black canine beast. She wasn't sure if it was a dog; it could have been a wolf. It had deep blue-grey eyes contrasted on dark, black fur, with strange red markings under its eyes. Its body was slender and muscular, its fur short, clean and shiny. It was longer around the beast's neck, forming a rather puffy collar of fur. Some things could let her think that this was no ordinary beast, like the single white, black-tipped feather attached to the black strands of the fur collar, the two linked earrings on the animal's right ear, and another single ring on its left ear.

The beast merely stared at her, she extended her hand to touch the animal, but it turned and walked away just as her fingers were about to make contact with the entity. 

The animal turned back, looking at her again, inviting her to follow it.

She would have followed it, if her head hadn't started pounding and her lungs failing her... A gut-wrenching scream could be heard not long after…

*** 

The screaming woke her up abruptly, although she soon realised it was the sound of her own voice, accompanied by the frenzied barking of Nikkou. She sat up in her bed, her forehead sweaty, her sheets damp. She wiped her face with the back of her hand, calming down. Her dog still barked madly; Ayame entered the room quickly. It was 5:42 AM. Leamen didn't even look at her alarm clock…

"What's wrong with the dog?!" Ayame said, crouching over the animal and speaking to her, trying to calm her down.

Leamen cleared her throat, trying to get her normal voice back.

"It's okay mom…I must have had a nightmare…she must've started barking when I woke up screaming..." Leamen stated, as she motioned to the now calmer animal.

"Yes, about that…I think I heard a scream, but the sound was mostly drowned out by the dog's barking…"

"She started before I woke up? She might have sensed it or something…" she said. Leamen patted her bed, and Nikkou happily jumped on the mattress, all her worries forgotten as Leamen scratched her head. 

"Huh girl, yeah you like that, you old lady!" said the girl cheerfully as her four legged friend gave a little yelp of approval.

"You'd better get up, Leamen, we're leaving early today…." Ayame said, smiling softly at the sight.

"I'm up, I'm up…"she said as she lay back down. "…Almost." Nikkou gave a little bark at that.

Ayame only smiled sweetly and got out of her daughter's room to go prepare breakfast. Ichiro came into Leamen's room about ten minutes after her mother had passed…"Come on sleeping beauty, get up!" he said cheerfully. 

"Nyarrh…. rhmmmrr…" came the muffled reply, as Leamen took the blankets from over her head and got up.

Ichiro grinned as his daughter and her dog followed him to the kitchen. They both sat down at the table while Nikkou went in a corner of the room, having spotted her favourite toy. The old canine took it in her mouth, shook it left and right a few times, and having won the battle, laid down and chewed the gizmo's already battered form. 

"You'd swear she's still six months old sometimes," Leamen thought out, and then clapped her hands together, "Thank you for the food!" she exclaimed, digging in.

"It's our last breakfast here," said Ichiro, looking around, seeming suddenly nostalgic.

"Yes…" answered Ayame thoughtfully.

"Thank God," replied Leamen between two mouthfuls.

Leamen was back to her cheerful self, and her mother noticed that her appetite was back, too. She didn't seem to be the type of girl to gain weight, as she was very active. Leamen declared she was full after her second serving. "Excellent, as always, Mom! Thank you!" she chimed, getting up with her plate, glass and chopsticks.

Leamen helped Ayame clean up the kitchen after breakfast. She washed away a few stains on the table, while her mother cleaned the remaining dishes.

The girl slowed down in her movements as a thought struck her.

"Mom? Are you sure it's okay for me to still live with you and Dad…I mean…I'm really ready to leave, being twenty and all, and I'm almost done with my studies…"

Ayame's features only brightened at her daughter's comment.

"We already talked about this, you know that we don't mind you staying as long as you're studying, sweetheart, we'll do our best to help you get started…"

The young woman smiled at her mother at that and they both finished their chores in a comfortable silence.

***

The little family each took a quick shower, one by one. Even Nikkou didn't escape it, much to her dislike. They were all soon ready to go right after packing their hairbrushes, toothbrushes, alarm clocks, clocks…

Leamen also took the time to call the few friends she had, bidding them farewell, promising to keep in touch…

The heat was already starting to push down on everyone, early in the morning, so the clothing matched the weather, as always. Ichiro wore a plain T-shirt and black shorts, while both Ayame and Leamen settled for light summer dresses, with matching shoes and hats.

"I can't wait to start at Nekomi Tech!" exhaled Leamen, as she entered the car and buckled up. She helped Nikkou in, and patted her on the head. The dog looked at her with big brown eyes, all the while panting from the heat.

Both her parents smiled, and the little family was off, following the truck that contained their belongings. Leaving the house they had always lived in…

*** 

Leamen got out of the car, quickly followed by Nikkou. She looked around herself, eyes and smile wide. Even though she was twenty years old, she could easily be impressed like a five-year-old child.

"This town is so lovely!" she said happily. Nikkou ran around her, having yet a lot of energy in her old bones.

Ayame crouched before Nikkou and tried to calm her down a bit.

"Yes it is! Come on, I'll show you around a bit Leamen; we'll let your dad and those workers get the stuff inside, and we'll be back in an hour to help your dad unpack, okay?" said Ayame. 

"Works fine with me, mom!" she replied as she ran into the little streets of Nekomi, her mother and Nikkou barely able to follow her. Yes, Leamen would definitely appreciate life in Nekomi.

*** 

Belldandy softly hummed to herself as she washed the dishes they had used for breakfast. She laughed to herself as she remembered Keiichi's depressed expression when he accidentally spilled his cup of tea on the floor. Poor Keiichi kept saying he was sorry, even though she kept telling him it was alright, with Skuld complaining about how clumsy he was and Urd just not paying attention.

Belldandy had almost finished placing the dishes in the cupboard when Urd came in. "Hey Bell, want me to help you with that," she said as she raised her arms, preparing one of those devastating spells of hers… 

"No no, Urd, really, I will be fine, see, I am almost done!" Belldandy replied nervously. 

"Okay, if you say so, sister," said Urd as she exited the kitchen and returned to the TV screen.

*** 

Leamen was walking around quickly, almost skipping. Ayame failed to keep up with her. 

"Honey, we'll have time visit some more later…we really should go back, " said a rather tired Ayame, pulling an excited Nikkou on the leash.

"I want to check things out a bit more, I won't take long, you won't even notice I was gone." Leamen said with a grin. Her mother was always so insecure about everything.

Ayame sighed, and smiled. 

"Will you remember the way home? I really have to go back to help your father…Here, take Nikkou along with you; she's as excited as a puppy today…" 

"Sure mom! Later!" she said happily, taking Nikkou's leash to take her with her, and she ran along, her hair flowing in the wind, her canine friend following her.

*** 

Belldandy was making onigiri in the kitchen. She was sure her sisters would like a little snack during the afternoon. She carefully made them; putting her care and love in it. She softly sang as she did so. Belldandy was almost done; only a few left to make. She sighed, smiling. The goddess listened to the quiet, subtle sounds in the temple, enjoying the calmness. Her serenity was cut short as she felt a strong, but familiar energy nearing the temple grounds. She suspended her work and headed outside.

***

Nikkou was walking ahead, freed from her leash, sniffing at everything she found along the sidewalk. She straightened up, sniffed the air, and continued walking along, her blue-haired master in tow. Turning a corner, she saw a structure that resembled a temple of some sorts. She stopped and admired it, fanning herself with her hand, as it was getting quite hot. Leamen called Nikkou, who was already at the gates, sniffing the wooden doors.

"Nikkou! Come back here, girl! It's time to get home…We don't want to get lost now do we?" she said, calling her dog back.

It was the least of Nikkou's problems, the wooden doors were far more interesting. Leamen sighed deeply, making a face, then went to Nikkou and clipped the leash on her collar. Soft sounds reached her sharp ears. She heard some laughing, apparently from two girls. She looked inside, through the ajar gates, and she saw two girls having fun. The first was more of a woman than a girl; her skin was a dark, tan color, and her long, straight hair, a pure shade of white. Her eyes were a startling shade of green. She wore rather eccentric clothing, but it looked nice on her, as she seemed fit for this type of clothes. The other girl looked to be about fifteen or so. She had long black hair, huge brown eyes, and she carried a weird mallet, or hammer of some sort, and she was dressed in rather baggy clothing, in different shades of pink and white. Leamen smiled at the young one's display energy.

But what grabbed the young observant's attention were the markings their faces bore. The eldest girl had an inverted triangle on her forehead and two small triangles at the corner of her eyes. The youngest girl had a rather swelled inverted drop of water with a white dot in the middle, and at the corner of her eyes were smaller markings resembling the one on her forehead.

Leamen saw another woman come outside of the temple. Her long straight hair was brown, and her eyes were sapphire blue. She wore a simple yellow summer dress, with a pink apron. She was either a maiden, or she was the mistress of the house. She also had markings, but, as with the other two women, they were different. Her forehead marking was in the form of a long, thin diamond, and there were two small triangles at the corner of her eyes. Leamen took a few steps back, but still continued to watch, seemingly hypnotised by those whom she didn't know but resembled her in one unique way…

The youngest of the trio seemed to spot the brown haired maiden, as she immediately ran to her.

"Big Sister! Come and play with us! I'll go get Banpei!" Skuld shouted happily, as she headed for the door behind Belldandy.

"Oh no you don't, you little brat!" replied Urd as she darted after her youngest sister.

But Belldandy had barely heard them, as she was busy watching the girl whom her sisters hadn't seemed to notice. 

"Urd, Skuld, haven't you noticed we have a visitor?" Belldandy asked, a bit angry with her sisters for being rude.

"Eh?" said both Urd and Skuld as they turned towards the gate, only to see a young blue-haired girl, apparently a goddess, but this goddess looked quite frightened at the moment.

Leamen backed off slowly, afraid of what she was seeing, and of what might happen if she did anything... The brown-haired girl told her to wait, that she'd like to have a chat. The other two girls were closing in on the gate, and that's when Leamen broke into a run, dashing towards home, with Nikkou following.

***

Everybody sat in the tea-room, in the afternoon. Keiichi had just come back from work at Whirlwind, and he was settling down too, getting comfortable, his shoulders slacking as he relaxed for a change. He listened as Belldandy related the morning's events.

"You saw another goddess today? Are you sure it wasn't Peorth, or even Rind?" asked a confused Keiichi. Deep down he knew it couldn't be either Rind or Peorth; they wouldn't have hidden from their view, and they wouldn't have run away. He wondered if this "goddess" could be a new enemy to the already wide myriad of foes they had.

"I am certain it was another goddess, Keiichi-san, and it wasn't one that we know…" answered Belldandy, "You see, I didn't sense her goddess aura…it is the other part of her that I sensed…I wasn't sure at first, which is why I went outside when I felt the energy signature. I recognised it as soon as I saw the girl though. I knew that woman's mother when I was little. She wasn't of this realm, though; she was of a race called Lupi-jin. The Lupi-jin were a pacific race, fighting only to protect their loved ones and their home. One day, Bil, the god of the moon, took an interest in a Lupi-jin woman named Zukkie, who was the heir to one of the most important Lupi-jin tribes. I know Lupi-jins have a connection to the moon, as they are basically what you would call werewolves, only they have three forms. Anyway, all I know is that he got her to accompany him to the Heavens and after sometime a little goddess was born from their union. Zukkie was thrilled about having a daughter…"

Belldandy paused to take a sip of her tea, and then continued on.

"Zukkie took their child after an argument and fled through a gate. She probably died in it. If not, she wasn't strong when she got out of it. They say they've lost the baby's trace soon after Zukkie disappeared with her, too…And that's about all we know. The familiar energy I felt earlier was that of a Lupi-jin, which means she is probably Zukkie's daughter."

"You mean to tell me that the girl we saw today IS the goddess that went missing? She's the one they've been looking for? They should have found her by now!" exclaimed Urd.

"No, I'm not sure, I think her powers haven't awakened yet, or something has been done to the program in her marking… they'd need to trace her program to find her, but tracing an incomplete or damaged code would lead to nothing…" Belldandy thought for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts and piece this puzzle together.

"Now that's pretty weird! How could a goddess be powerless…I mean the only way for them to be powerless is to have their license suspended or something…But surely she must have some powers that could be traced…" said Keiichi.

"You forget something, Keiichi…she wasn't raised in the Heavens, she didn't receive a qualification, she doesn't have a license…. She wouldn't be able to use her powers even if she knew of them," replied Skuld, slightly annoyed at Keiichi's question.

Belldandy looked worried, chewing her bottom lip; she took another sip of tea.

"She will probably be back, but when will that be…we'll have to help her out…" said Belldandy, half out-loud and half to herself.

"I could send Banpei to fetch her, "said Skuld tentatively.

"Are you crazy, Skuld? You'll scare the Lupi-jin genes out of her!" replied Urd.

"But we never know… she may come back sooner than we think…" said Bell.

*** 

Leamen finished unpacking the last of her personal stuff, and proceeded to put it away. Nikkou happily paced around the room, and Leamen stopped her chore a little to pet her dog. The young woman was still shaken by her encounter. Those ladies, they were like her, minus the tail. They had facial markings too, and they…felt, smelled nice. She couldn't explain it, but she had felt something emanating from them, and it made her feel warm and at ease inside, but that sudden change in herself scared her. The brown-haired one seemed to know she was there, and when she actually mentioned her to the other two, Leamen got scared, and she had rushed home, afraid. Ayame had been quite surprised to see her so shaken up. What could have happened? Leamen wouldn't tell her, she wouldn't tell her dad, she wouldn't say anything, she had only ran to her room, her dog following happily behind….

Leamen sighed, and headed for the kitchen, after finishing placing her belongings. She had been in her room for a few hours now. It was around nine o'clock; it would be a late dinner but Ichiro and Ayame were proud of themselves, they had done a lot of unpacking today, so they'd be able to relax a little on Sunday. Leamen helped her mom to prepare the sushi, and she went downstairs to get her dad when the food was ready. She found her way through unpacked boxes and a few shelves that had yet to be placed.

"Dad?" she asked.

A loud thump was heard, followed with an 'ouch'.

"Oow…I'm here, what is it," he said as he got out of the future living room, rubbing his head.

"You startled me… How do you do that? The silent thing, I mean…" 

"I'm sorry, Dad…dinner's ready…hurry up, now, because at this rate the food will rot before we get to eat it! Hurry, hurry!"

"I'm right behind you Leamen…" he answered with a smile as he went up the stairs with her.

Leamen talked a lot as she ate her dinner, her earlier concern seemingly forgotten. She told her dad of everything she had seen with her mom, carefully avoiding her little mishap at the temple.

"And you should see Nekomi Tech! It's huge! I only saw a glimpse of it though, but it looks so nice, I'm really looking forward to starting class there," she said, feeling extremely happy.

"Yes, I'm sure it'll be a great experience for you, meeting new people, new activities…" Ayame replied sincerely.

"Yeah, they'd better like my girl, or else…" said Ichiro teasingly, making a face and shaking his balled fist.

"Dad, you really think you would scare them?" said Leamen, resting her chin on her hand as she grinned at her dad.

"Ah well, at least I'd try!" replied her father. 

Leamen excused herself, as she got up a few minutes later. She took every plate, and took them to the sink. She helped her mom clean the dishes as her dad went back downstairs, to finish his work. At around ten thirty she unpacked a few boxes with her mom and she excused herself to bed.

Leamen thought of her afternoon again, once she was lying comfortably on her unmade bed. "I'm definitely going back, I have to know who they are…" she thought as she slid her body under the sheets and slowly drifted off to sleep, her thoughts switching to the upcoming Monday at Nekomi Tech. 

End of chapter 2


	4. Chapter 3

Time Will Tell  
Chapter 3  
  
Leamen gulped her breakfast rather quickly on Sunday morning, it consisted of a single piece of toast; she was rather nervous and it lessened her appetite. She hastily washed her plate, glass and butter knife when she was done, and set them back in the cupboard. She washed her hands, brushed her teeth and went to her room. Nikkou was right behind her, as usual. Leamen rummaged through her messy drawers, looking for something to wear. She settled on a rather large orange T-shirt with the English capital letter "E" on it and pulled and a pair of black shorts. She then headed back to the kitchen, nearly tripping over Nikkou who was happily laying across the door, and scribbled a little note to her parents, saying she'd be back for dinner. The young woman moved as silently as possible; she didn't want to awaken her parents. She checked around a few times to be sure that she didn't forget anything and headed to the lobby. Nikkou's short, clipped claws clicked on the floor behind her. Leamen fished her running shoes and skateboard out of the messy closet and sat on the only step separating the lobby from the rest of the little house. She put on her left shoe, tied it securely and reached for her right shoe, which was no longer there. The dog had also fallen silent.  
  
She looked around quickly, only to catch Nikkou in the act.  
  
"Nikkou!" she hissed, "Bad girl! Give me back my shoe!" Leamen reached for the shoe but Nikkou walked away with her tail wagging, the now drool filled shoe secured in her jaw.  
  
"Ew! Nikkou! Come back here!" she hissed roughly again as she went after the old dog, trying not to stepped too loud with her left foot.  
  
After a few minutes of playful low growling from both girl and dog, Leamen got her shoe back. She rubbed her dog's head a bit roughly. "You mischievous girl!"  
  
A playful little yap was the answer she got. She smiled and gave her old friend a peck on the head, grabbed her skateboard and she was gone. Nikkou simply stared at the door with big brown eyes and yawned. She then lazily got up, went back to her corner of the kitchen, nudged her food bowl and laid down for a snooze.  
  
Leamen sped down the streets, all the while being careful not to topple over and break her bones. She went over the sidewalks, performed a few simple tricks. She kicked her right leg down on the pavement to gain some speed and jumped over a spilled trashcan. The girl noticed the empty soda cans lying on the pavement in front of it. Seeing those reminded her that her little ride was starting to get her thirsty, not to mention sweaty, so she stopped at a nearby vending machine and got herself a cheap cola knock- off.  
  
The can opened with a light sound; she brought it to her lips.  
  
"My.not too bad, but it isn't Pepsi," she thought as she downed it rather quickly. The blue tailed girl then got back on her skateboard and headed towards the temple, the mentioned tail attracting a few surprised looks on the way.  
  
***  
  
"I love this kind of morning; the air is fresh, the birds chirp happily in their cozy nests and the sun shines so beautifully." Bell said with eyes closed, breathing in the morning air as they walked along the morning streets.  
  
"Ah.yes.it is.beautiful." he answered, looking at her fondly as a faint blush colored his cheeks. He tentatively slipped his hand in hers, and his blush deepened as her hand tightened on his own, stroking the golden ring on his ring finger.  
  
*** Her wheels made a soft noise as she cruised down the streets. Leamen was about four blocks away from the temple when a familiar scent tickled her nose. She saw the pleasant scent's source come around the street corner. It was that brown-haired maiden she had seen the day before. She looked very elegant in her long sleeved blue dress. The sweet looking woman was with a black-haired man wearing casual jeans, and a heavily worn red sweater. He was slightly shorter than the lady was, his hair was neatly cut, and emotion seemed to pour from his chocolate brown eyes. Leamen guessed it was the maiden's husband, from the way he was staring fondly at her.  
  
Belldandy saw the girl across the street and gave her a warm smile. Leamen took the hint, she looked looked on both sides of the street before crossing. Leamen blushed a little; her body seemed to be getting a bit hot all of a sudden. She got off her skateboard and took it in her hands.  
  
"Well, hello there, nice seeing you again. We kind of had a bad start yesterday, didn't we? " Belldandy said, smiling all the way . "Uh.yes, yes.." She paused and rubbed the back of her head in a nervous manner, "I.I'm sorry I freaked out yesterday. I just. never saw people like me. Uh, no that's not what I wanted to say." her tail wagged slowly from left to right; her gaze shifting from Belldandy to Keiichi, "Ah.. Um.this must be your husband," Leamen said, bowing.  
  
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Leamen. I've just moved here." Leamen saw the pair look astonished and the man blush furiously. She noticed the strong smell of uneasiness that emanated from him. Leamen took this to mean they weren't really married and that she'd goofed, or that they were rather shy about it.  
  
"Er. Welcome to Nekomi, Leamen, I'm Morisato Keiichi, and this is Belldandy," Keiichi said, motioning to his goddess, whose blue eyes turned to Leamen.  
  
"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Belldandy. I'm sorry, again, for the way I acted, it wasn't proper and I apologize." Leamen said, bowing again.  
  
"That's alright, you were scared, we understand that. But I cannot say 'pleased to meet you' though, Leamen, because I already know you. Well, I know of you.My, all of Heaven knows." Belldandy said, smiling, her voice trailing off.  
  
"Eh?" stammered Leamen, completely puzzled.  
  
"Why don't we return to the temple, we will introduce you to my  
sisters."suggested Belldandy. "Is that alright with you Keiichi?"  
  
"No problem Bell." he said with a smile.  
  
"Uh. okay, I guess. but can I phone my Mom and Dad when we get to the temple? I left them a note saying I'd be back for dinner, but I forgot to tell them where I was going." Leamen asked cautiously.  
  
She didn't really need to tell them exactly where she was at any given moment; she was 20, though since she was still living with them, they preferred to be kept informed on at least her whereabouts. Leamen didn't really enjoy it, but Ayame and Ichiro tended to be a bit overprotective of their only child.she'd have to talk to them about that sooner or later.  
  
"Of course, let's hurry, I don't want your parents to worry." Bell said with concern, wondering who these "parents" were, and what they were like, since she had known Leamen's biological parents and doubted they were the parents the girl was referring to. She didn't see Leamen rolling her eyes, smiling as she thought of her mom and dad.  
  
***  
  
A short walk brought them back to the temple, as they weren't very far from it. The trio entered, taking off their shoes, Leamen leaving her skateboard outside. Urd looked up from the TV set as she heard them come into the living room.  
  
"Hey guys! How was t-" Urd said, her sentence cutting short as she sees Leamen, "What have we here?"  
  
Belldandy smiled, looking at Leamen, who took a step forward.  
  
"Pleased to meet you, my name is Leamen," she said to Urd as she bowed.  
  
"The name's Urd, Cupid of Love, nice to meet you too, Leamen," Urd replied, returning her bow.  
  
And without warning, Urd walked to her and took her chin in her hand. Leamen looked quite taken by this and her eyes widened a little.  
  
"Hmm. yup. definitely Zukkie and Bil." mumbled the exotically dressed goddess as she examined the woman's features, " Zukkie's eyes, Bil's mouth and nose."  
  
Leamen blushed a dark shade of red, and wondered briefly about Zukkie and Bil, who she understood, from Urd's sayings, were her biological parents.  
  
"Urd, would you please stop, you're embarrassing the poor girl!" Keiichi said, rather angrily. Leamen already looked nervous enough.As he said those words, a younger looking girl, with black hair and brown eyes, poked her head into the doorway.  
  
"Who's embarrassed?" she asked as she walked in, "What's this commotion all about? Oh." She stopped short when she saw Leamen.  
  
"Nice to meet you." said a rather red looking Leamen. She bowed to this newest sister. She didn't say so but Leamen was still shocked with Urd's rather direct approach.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, Leamen, I'm Skuld!" said Skuld cheerfully as she extended her hand to the blue-haired girl. Leamen shook Skuld's hand with a smile.  
  
She was starting to feel less nervous, though she felt quite hot. She would have changed clothes, had she been home. Leamen looked around a bit. The temple was old, but it was still a very good-looking place, which was also filled with loads of interesting scents.  
  
A particular odor caught her attention. She sniffed the air a few times and looked around for the source of the scent. It was getting stronger. Was it her, or was that scent that of a..  
  
A sharp intake of breath.  
  
And Leamen sneezed. Twice. Three times.  
  
Something soft rubbed against her ankle. She sneezed once more before looking down. Lowering her gaze further and further, until her eyes rested upon.  
  
A cat.  
  
It was completely black, except for a star shape on its forehead, its paws, and the tip of its tail. It meowed and purred as it welcomed her to the household. She sneezed again. The cat sniffed her feet a bit. Nikkou's scent, which had rubbed off on Leamen's clothes, didn't seem to upset it.  
  
Belldandy smiled.  
  
"I see you've met Welsper! He's a mischievous little cat." Belldandy said as she bent down and picked Welsper up, who immediately started purring. Keiichi just glared at the cat, seemingly vowing revenge. You could swear the cat was smiling.  
  
Urd came by and handed Leamen a box of tissues, which she gratefully took. She muffled her thanks from under her hand, blew her nose and wiped her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," Leamen said, embarrassed, "I'm kind of allergic to cats, although I still like them." She gave Welsper a pat on the head and sneezed again. The cat meowed again; three quick sounds, almost like laughter.  
  
The cat nestled himself in the crook of Belldandy's arm. She scratched his head and a soft purring sound came from the little black fur ball.  
  
"Well, now you know just about everyone in the household," said Belldandy. She sat down at the small table, motioning to Leamen to come sit down. "We really need to talk, Leamen, because I feel there are many things of which you are oblivious to."  
  
"Okay, let me just phone my mom, she'll freak out if I don't.." Leamen said as she went to the phone.  
  
She searched her memory for her new phone number, and couldn't remember it so she dialed the operator and asked to be connected to their new house. It rang twice.  
  
***  
  
"Hello?" said a rather concerned Ayame on the phone.  
  
"Uh. Mom. It's me. I-" She was cut short by her mom's yelling. Quickly Leamen moved the receiver away from her ear.  
  
"Where are you? You worried me sick! Leaving a note, without telling us of your whereabouts!"  
  
Keiichi, Urd and Skuld looked at her quizzically, as she answered her mom.  
  
"Sorry Mom. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm at that temple I visited yesterday. I'm chatting with the people here. I won't take long, I promise." She answered with a sigh.  
  
"Well, alright, be back by five o'clock, not a second later, you hear?" said Ayame firmly.  
  
"Ugh.thanks Mom, bye." said Leamen, wanting to end the embarrassing conversation as soon as possible.  
  
"Bye Leamen, remember, five o'clock." Ayame replied, the strictness in her voice highly perceptible.  
  
"Yes, yes, bye!" she said quickly, hanging up the phone.  
  
Leamen silently walked back to the small table and sat down again, her cheeks a deep shade of red.  
  
"Some mother you have!" said Urd.  
  
***  
  
Ayame hung up the phone, and went back to the kitchen, to sit beside Ichiro. He looked quite concerned.  
  
"Strange. she's never done this before. she usually tells us where she goes." He said as he looked at the clock. Leamen had been gone for over an hour.  
  
"I hope she'll be okay. she's been acting weird these last few days." Ayame confirmed, visibly worried.  
  
Nikkou came in the room, panting lazily as she lay down beside them. Ichiro stared at his wife for a few seconds, before he hesitatingly stated the obvious.  
  
"Hmmm.you know." Ichiro started, hesitating, "hmm.she's not a child anymore.No matter how much we'd like it to stay like this, we can't keep her covered like that forever." He said as he wrapped his wife in his arms. Ayame seemed quite upset.  
  
"But what if something happens to her? What if-" her sentence stopped as a sob escaped her lips, her eyes quickly filling with tears.  
  
"There, there.." The man said, rocking her gently, "She's big enough now, I'm sure she'll be just fine.we have to let her live her own life."  
  
Ayame slowly nodded as she sniffed, understanding her husband's point of view.  
  
***  
  
Belldandy entered the living room with several cups of tea and a few cookies, which she set on the table. She then sat down and took a sip of her Darjeeling tea.  
  
Leamen looked around at everyone, a little nervously, as if they were going to jump on her, as a lion might pounce an antelope.  
  
"You don't have to be scared; we won't eat you, girl." It was Urd who had spoken.  
  
"Sorry. I'm not used to this." Leamen said shyly.  
  
"Why is that?" Keiichi asked. "Um. I didn't really have any friends back home, well, a few acquaintances.but no real friends." She sigh, then let out a short laugh, "My only real friends are my parents and my dog Nikkou.See, people tend to judge others by their looks. I guess." she said.  
  
Skuld looked at her and smiled.  
  
"Don't worry, we're not judging you, you're a fellow goddess!" Skuld replied, trying to cheer her up.  
  
"A what? Goddess? What is this all about?" Leamen asked, confused.  
  
A sudden vision hit her. She was warm all over, and looking up, she peered into a pair of caring, loving amber eyes. The image faded, to be replaced by another one.. A face of immaculate white.these new eyes were filled with ageless wisdom, and were a deep golden color. This last image faded to nothing.  
  
Skuld looked at Leamen closely; she seemed to have spaced out for a few seconds.  
  
"Are you okay?" Skuld asked.  
  
The girl looked shocked and confused now, her eyes darted around the room, her breathing deepening.  
  
"Something strange just happened.. I just saw two faces staring at me out of nowhere while I haven't moved from here and---"  
  
Urd put her hands on her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake, to bring her back to reality.  
  
"Whoa whoa, calm down Leamen." Urd said; this seemed to calm the young woman down a bit, "you saw something when we mentioned you were a goddess, but has anything weird appeared recently? Any other visions like the ones you just experienced, or dreams?"  
  
"Hmm.now that you mention that.. I've had a weird dream recently, it was of some black dog or wolf.. Then the dog disappeared and couldn't breathe. That's when I woke up.Hmm.. I also feel quite hot, I mean, I know it's hot outside, but.I don't know.this is different."  
  
"I think I can explain at least that dream and this vision you just had." said Belldandy calmly, "it is your goddess half reacting to our close presence. It's no wonder you found the temple; you were drawn to it, although it wasn't intentionnal on our side." Here she paused, took a sip of tea.  
  
"As I understand it you were born about 20 to 21 years ago, in the realm of the gods. Your mother was a Lupi-Jin, a race of wolf people. Not werewolves mind you; they wander forests of all realms as wolves, but they can take on humanoid forms... Zukkie, your Lupi-jin mother, bonded with the God of the Moon, Bil." Bell said, smiling. "You were soon born of their union. Everything was going well, but they had an argument one night. No one really knows why they argued, but it is presumed it was about your situation. You see, a post had already been prepared for you. Your forehead marking tells a lot, you know... You would have managed the systems of time, if you had grown up with the gods. But your mother took you away; she didn't want to leave you there, as to her it meant you could never have a normal life. Zukkie was a rather strong fighter; while she ran with you in her arms, she managed to fight off two guards at once, just before she jumped in the gate that took her to Earth. The story is somewhat famous."  
  
It took a few moments for Leamen to take it all in, she took a few deep breaths and massaged her temples. She then looked at Belldandy, puzzled.  
  
"I don't get it. if all of that is true, why am I with Mom and Dad. I mean, I know I'm not from them, my physique proves it, so why isn't my real mom with me?" Leamen asked. "The authorities figured she hid you, in case she'd ever get caught," answered Urd.  
  
"Hmmm. I see." Leamen said in a low tone, deep in thought. Her eyes lit up with a new question.  
  
"Why didn't I know of all of this? I know I was pretty young, but if I'm a goddess or whatever you say I am, shouldn't I have known? I mean, I know I've always been different, but." said Leamen as she lowered her eyes.  
  
"That's because something has tempered with your signal," replied Belldandy, "your mother probably succeeded in shutting it off, so we were never able to trace you."  
  
A heavy silence fell on the tearoom. The only sound in the room was that of Welsper's soft purring.  
  
Leamen spoke up after a while.  
  
".Soooo. what, will I have to learn about this Heaven place, or something? Who will teach me all of that? My! This is crazy!" Leamen exclaimed, to no one in particular.  
  
Belldandy smiled at the blue-haired goddess.  
  
"I will be your mentor, then," she said, smiling radiantly.  
  
Skuld gasped; Keiichi stopped munching on his cookie; Urd just stared at Belldandy, while Leamen looked even more confused.  
  
"Well, I hope you're ready for this Belldandy. Being a mentor is a tough job." said Urd, putting her hand on her younger sister's shoulder, "are you sure about this?".  
  
"Um.Mentor? You mean like a teacher of some sorts?" Leamen asked.  
  
"Exactly," replied Belldandy, still smiling.  
  
Urd glanced at her youngest sister, whom she expected to protest. To her surprise, the objection didn't come. She gave Skuld a little smiled, which was returned. The goddess of the Future was growing maturer, more elegant as time passed.  
  
"I don't think we can change your mind Bell, you seem eager to do this.Just take it easy and don't exhaust yourself, okay?" It was Keiichi. Belldandy smiled at him, his concern melting her heart.  
  
"Please, don't worry, I'll be fine," Bell answered, reassuring, "Everything will go well, don't worry," she said as she turned to Leamen. Even Welsper meowed at her, before turning around in Belldandy's lap only to lay down again.  
  
She smiled, rubbing her eyes, trying to hide the tears that threatened to spill.  
  
***  
  
During the next few hours, every goddess tried to teach Leamen the basics of the Heavens, and Yggdrasil. Belldandy, Urd and Skuld each showed Leamen their angels. They all laughed as Leamen jumped back in fright, the hair on her tail puffy. After a few deep breaths and good explanations though, the angels and Leamen soon became good friends.  
  
"You'll have an angel too, Leamen; now that I think of it, I may have an idea." said Bell, smiling.  
  
"Alright, my, this is happening so fast." Leamen said, caressing the feathers on World of Elegance's black wing. The angel made a sound similar to purring. The newcomer stared at the clock absentmindedly, then jumped. Ten minutes to five.  
  
"Oh my! I'm going to have to get back home now; my overprotective parents will kill me," she said, a bit embarrassed.  
  
Leamen ran to the lobby as quickly as she could and hurriedly put on her shoes, then grabbed her skateboard.  
  
"Thanks for everything guys, I'll be back tomorrow after scho-Uh.if it's alright I mean..."  
  
"Of course!" chimed Skuld who looked at Keiichi and Bell. Both smiled, and Leamen smiled back in return, exiting the temple ground and hurrying back home.  
  
***  
  
Ayame paced in the kitchen as she glanced at the wall. Five minutes until five o'clock. Where could that girl be? She was supposed to be back by now.  
  
The front door opened and Leamen entered, red in the face with exhaustion, but she looked quite happy.  
  
Ayame practically ran to her and told her never to do that again. Leamen only smiled and hugged her mother tightly, then her father. Nikkou came to her master, bouncing, though her old bones protested. Leamen wrestled with her dog for a few minutes, before lying on the kitchen floor with Nikkou, victorious, licking her face all over.  
  
"Okay! Okay girl! You win, you win!" she laughed, getting up.  
  
She got herself a drink and helped her mom prepare dinner. She told her about her afternoon, although certain details were carefully skipped.  
  
"I'll stop by the temple tomorrow after school, I want to say hello to my friends on the way back." She said as they set the table. The conversation switched sides as they started eating.  
  
Around a half an hour later, the table was cleared, the dishes washed, and the leftovers stored in the fridge. Leamen smiled at her dad, already sprawled on the couch watching TV.  
  
"Nikkou! Come here girl, we're taking a walk!"  
  
The dog, understanding the word 'walk', got to her feet and walked to Leamen, who put the leash on her collar. She didn't know why she bothered with it though; Nikkou always stayed close.  
  
The air was a bit cooler that night, although Leamen enjoyed it. She walked a few blocks from home, and even passed the temple. She stopped walking and looked at it for a few minutes, while Nikkou sniffed the ground. The dog also looked up after a few seconds. The old canine whimpered a little, and Leamen understood that as the signal to go back home. Nikkou wasn't getting younger, and her body was easily strained.  
  
Back home, Leamen removed her shoes, removed the leash from Nikkou's collar and stored these items in the closet. She passes her mother and father in the living room; they were both watching a popular game show. Nikkou joined them, squeezing her old frame between Ayame and Ichiro. Smiling, Leamen went to her bedroom and grabbed an oversized T-shirt and underwear, then headed to the bathroom. Her shower was quick, but refreshing.  
  
That done, she put on her bedclothes and brushed her teeth. Leamen shut the bathroom lights and headed for her bedroom, calling for Nikkou. Leamen made sure to check she had all the necessary paper in her bag before going to sleep. The dog then entered the room, and lay down on the bed. Leamen grinned at her, shut the lights and slid under the blankets, pushing Nikkou a little.  
  
So much had happened during the day that she wasn't so nervous about her first day at Nekomi Institute of Technology anymore. Her mind felt clear for once, and sleep came easily.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the © copyright Keiichi, Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and any other OMG character. I only own the © copyright (2001) to Leamen and her parents.. Many thanks to Liz Holt for her help! No thanks to go to Senbei, since he sucks at editing. ^-^ 


	5. Chapter 4

****

Time Will Tell

Chapter 4

Her eyes opened so quickly she thought they'd bulge out. She was late for her first day at the University! Leamen's first class was starting at 8 o'clock in the morning, and it was already around half past seven; she'd never make it since she'd have to search for the right classroom.

She ran to the kitchen, putting on her pale blue blouse and dark skirt as she did so. She almost tripped over Nikkou, who was getting excited because her master was running around. Leamen hurriedly stuffed a plain slice of bread in her mouth, went back to her room to quickly grab her backpack. She grabbed a brush from the bathroom and tried to brush her hair as she almost choked on her simple breakfast.

Ayame came out of her bedroom, in her pajamas and bunny slippers, wondering what the commotion was all about. She yawned as she spoke.

"What's the matter?" she asked incoherently.

Leamen was busy hitting her chest to try to swallow her bread. She pointed to the clock as she finally swallowed with a big gulping sound.

7:37 in the morning.

Ayame grabbed her car keys and quickly switched from bunny slippers to old running shoes. The girl seemed to understand what her mother was up to and smiled in relief. She patted her panting dog on the head before running to the car as fast as she could, her blue, fluffy tail swishing behind her. They both sat in the car and buckled up. The engine coughed a little; the car was getting old, but it finally started up with a muffled roar. It left the driveway and headed towards NIT.

7:46 in the morning. Almost there!

Leamen suddenly squealed.

Ayame looked at her with concern.

"Are you nervous?"

"No! I forgot my lunch!" 

***

Leamen looked up. She stared straight at NIT. The time had finally come. She snapped out of her little trance, and fished out her schedule from her backpack. Leamen realized her day wasn't very long, about four lessons and that was it… She first had a History of Arts class, then the foreign languages class, in which she would take French, then Advanced Mathematics and Calculus. She's have the music lessons on the next day. She had always enjoyed music, as it seemed to soothe her sensitive ears. Leamen did manage to play the flute well, she'd taken a few lessons when she was younger.

She entered the building, her tail getting slightly puffy from anxiousness. A horde of scents filled her nostrils so quickly she had to shut her eyes for a moment. There was surprisingly not much nervousness, aside from her own. She could smell that people were at ease here, and more importantly, they were content. Looking around, she spotted a vending machine. To her disappointment, it mostly contained hot canned coffee and other kinds of snacks. Leamen peered at her schedule again, finding the History of Arts classroom number. She slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"This place is so huge…" Leamen softly said to herself as she looked around.

A rather tall man with glasses then came towards her. She unconsciously sniffed the air as he approached. The scent of confidence was strong around him, and she guessed he was a teacher, from what he was wearing.

"Hello there, Miss, you look lost…" Aoshima stated.

"Oh… yes, I'm new here," she said, turning to face him. "It's my first day and I can't find the classroom where I must go… Could you please tell me where it is?" 

Aoshima's eyes widened, as he saw her face. He had seen those Hindu-like markings somewhere before…Ah! They were just like Belldandy's, Miss Urd's and their little sister, whom he could not remember the name. He guessed she probably was another exchange student; why, she was probably living at the temple with that lucky fool, Morisato Keiichi.

"Excuse me, sir?" she asked, "can you tell me where this classroom is?" she repeated, getting even more nervous. Leamen showed him her schedule.

"Oh, yes, yes, pardon me…Hmm, it seems your first class is with me Miss…." He said, trailing of as a way to get her name.

"Ah! I'm sorry! My name is Tetsuya, Tetsuya Leamen! I just moved here!" she said cheerfully, shaking his hand firmly.

Leamen's senses hadn't lied to her when she guessed he was a teacher.

Aoshima chuckled as he let go of her hand.

"It's straight down this hallway; take two rights, it should be the first door on your left," he answered, "although I might as well accompany you and introduce you to the class." He said, grinning. He discretely looked her up and down; she was attractive, in a weird way. His eyebrows raised at the wagging blue tail attached to her rear end...

"Thank you very much, Mr. Aoshima!" Leamen said, following him to the History of Arts classroom.

****

***

Leamen sighed. The French class was about to start, and then it would be Advanced Calculus. Students were slowly filling the room, taking their seats. She took out her schedule to make sure she was in the right room, and went to the teacher when he arrived. 

Leamen stayed in the front of the class with him, as he cleared his throat, gradually silencing his class.

"Alright people, we've got a new student," said the teacher, "please introduce yourself, Mademoiselle.". He was already getting in teaching mode.

She cleared her throat, a bit nervous to be speaking in front of people. She clutched her bag tighter, the hairs on her tail puffing ever so slightly.

"H…Hello…. um… My name's Tetsuya Leamen, um…we just moved here a few days ago…" she said, her voice shaking slightly, "and um…. I'm just happy to be here and…I hope I'll be able to get along with all of you…"

She turned to the teacher.

"Merci, Miss Tetsuya, please have a seat."

Leamen gave a small sigh of relief, as she made her way through the class, looking for an empty seat. A brown-haired, blue-eyed boy motioned to her from the back of the classroom. She saw the empty seat besides him and made her way to him. Leamen sat down next to him.

"Thank you, Mister…" she said, trailing off as a not so subtle way to get his name.

"Nakamura Ken, pleased to meet you!" 

***

The rest of that day, and the rest of the week for that matter, went quite smoothly for Leamen. She'd made some friends at the University, although she hung out a lot with Ken. She liked being around him, because he didn't ask any question about her looks; she sometimes got stared at by other students, but they didn't make a big deal of her looks and tail. Ken had helped her out a lot with classes, getting her the notes she'd missed since they had moved to Nekomi right in the middle of the semester. She was lucky though, because she learned quickly and adapted easily to her new surroundings.

Leamen had learned a lot from her teachers but also from her friends at the temple, whom she had visited twice during that time.

It was Friday and her last class had just ended. It seemed Leamen's Fridays weren't very loaded; she only had to classes. Leamen grabbed her backpack and her skateboard from her locker, bid farewell to Ken and headed home.

Leamen went directly to her room, saying hi to her mother and father as she passed them in the kitchen. She felt edgy today and she didn't want a fight to break out over some stupid thing. Nikkou raised her head from her sleeping spot on the floor as Leamen passed, panted a few times and lay her head back down over her front paws.

Once in her room, Leamen took out her textbooks and worked on her homework for around a half an hour or so. She stretched once she was done, and Nikkou's head tentatively poked through the door.

"Come here girl!" said Leamen cheerfully, getting up from her chair and getting on her bed, patting the mattress.

The dog's tail immediately started wagging, and the old dog jumped on the bed.

They both wrestled each other for a few minutes, both participants growling, laughing and barking. Leamen fell back on her bed, giggling as Nikkou chewed on her sweatshirt's right sleeve.

Ayame was setting the table for dinner, when Nikkou zoomed through the kitchen and attacked her chew toy; it seemed that she, too, was feeling better in this new home. She seemed to have a lot more energy.

Leamen followed soon after, and took the dishes from her mom's hands. Ayame smiled her thanks and went back to the stove to finish preparing the food. Casual conversations were started, and Leamen ate her food slightly faster than usual, nodding and giving one-syllable replies when she was addressed.

Ichiro and Ayame glanced at eachother, then at Leamen.

"Leamen dear, are you in a hurry? Do you have to get somewhere?" asked Ayame.

Leamen swallowed her mouthful of food and almost choked on it. She cleared her throat.

"Yeah, I'm going to the temple to see Belldandy and the others…" Leamen replied as she took in another bite.

"Speaking of which, will we get the chance to meet them any time soon?" asked Ichiro.

Leamen seemed to think for a few seconds before she replied.

"Not right now, I guess, Dad," 

"Why not?" he snapped.

"Well…because…it's easier for me if you don't meet them!" Leamen yelled back. Her tail was getting puffier by the second and a small growl rumbled in her chest.

"We have a right to know who you're dealing with young girl!"

Leamen grit her teeth together; she really wanted to punch him right now.

"Look, DAD, " she shot, "I'm not 12 years old anymore, I can take care of myself! Would the both of you just STOP babying me?" she yelled.

"Alright you two break this up! STOP! Both of you!" yelled Ayame over the shouting, breaking up the argument before someone would get hurt. Leamen's tail was getting too a little too puffy.

Leamen glared at her mother, her anger darkened blue eyes shooting daggers. She huffed; the sound came out rather harsh. Without another word she got rapidly, angrily to the lobby, put her shoes and stormed out. The whole house seemed to shake when she slammed the door shut.

Ichiro took in a few quick deep breaths. He was angry with her, but even more so at himself. He realized that the words he'd told his wife, about Leamen being big, a few days ago, were empty words, because his way of thinking seemed the same as his wife's.

****

***

"Yes, that's it, little goddess…" hummed a low voice. Malicious green eyes seemed to glow in the darkened little lair.

He watched her again in his little reflection pool. The time would come soon enough. His smile grew wider, and a pair of white, glistening fangs seemed to shine through the blackness.

****

***

Leamen breathed heavily, She was a bit calmer now, and the fresh air helped to clear her thoughts. Her pace slowed after a while. 

She looked around; there it was, that feeling of being watched again. It was the first time in a while. _Weird, _she thought.

She was nearing the temple gates; she was so deep in her thoughts that she'd failed to notice her surrounding for a few moments. She stopped before the gates, and decided to get her sweatshirt off; it was getting a bit hot, even though it was dark outside.

Tying the sweatshirt around her waist, she heard a nearby tree's leaves rustle from the wind. Leamen looked up and saw a little bird fly from the tree. She smiled, her gaze followed it disappeared in the sky. She looked at the stars for a moment; there were very few clouds.

Her gaze finally settled on the moon. It was full.

"Beautiful…" she whispered to herself. Leamen had always liked the moon; always of it as a little sister to the sun.

Her smiled quickly faded, as her body temperature seemed to increase suddenly. She leaned against the gate, her breathing becoming ragged from the heat. Her heartbeat was getting faster and faster. She felt something rise, from the very bottom of her being. It felt as if her body was short-circuiting. She heard a growling sound. Leamen looked around, frightened, before realizing that she was the one growling. That's the last thing she noticed, before the beast took control of her mind.

****

***

Keiichi picked up the remaining dishes and brought them to the kitchen. It had been excellent, as always, thanks to Belldandy. His complete attention rested on her. He smiled; he loved her so much…

Belldandy suddenly looked up from the sink; Urd and Skuld both entered the kitchen. 

Not a word was spoken; an ear shattering sound seemed to surround the temple as soon as the eldest and younger sister entered the kitchen.

"What is THAT?" Keiichi asked, alarmed at the sound. He quickly covered his ears as the sound repeated itself. Belldandy looked straight on forward, seemingly not affected by the awful, howl-resembling sound. Similar sounds followed, although they were less strong than the first ones.

Skuld clutched her mallet, and headed for the temple's entrance, followed by her sisters and Keiichi. They didn't even bother to put their shoes on.

Outside, Keiichi gasped at the sight.

***

Leamen was trapped. She could see everything, but she was powerless to stop herself. She seemed surrounded by something, _someone_, who kept her from regaining control over her actions. 

Her vision turned around, tinted in a reddish tone. It focused on a very shocked Keiichi, and equally shocked goddesses. Her body headed towards them.

_No! Stop this! Please stop this! _

***

Skuld covered her mouth with her hands, shocked. It was Leamen who was in their yard, but was it? Her skin complexion seemed darker, and her hair a paler shade of blue. Her forehead marking had turned red, and the markings at the corner of her eyes had reversed, and elongated, stretching down her cheeks, and thin triangular markings were now right under her eyes. 

Her eyes; her eyes were the worst. Instead of their natural blue, they were now a fierce golden color… the eyes of a beast.

Leamen took a few steps towards them, stopped and sniffed the air. She seemed to growl as she breathed in a large amount of air. She then howled, throwing her head back. Keiichi clasped his hands over his ears.

She did this once again, and glared at the goddesses and Keiichi…

***

__

Don't do this! Don't you dare attack them! They're my friends! Leamen thought frantically, fighting against the presence inside her, trying to break free to regain control over her body.

***

The berserk Leamen charged at them, but changed her course at the last minute and headed for the nearest tree. She rammed her body into its trunk, it broke in half. She then proceeded slashing at the stump, tearing it apart, growling dangerously as she did so. The real Leamen, trapped in her own mind, had somehow managed to hold her body back, and had directed the berserk entity at the tree.

Keiichi was getting back up; the charging Leamen had scared the living daylights out of him, and he had thrown himself to the ground to avoid the attack. He looked alarmingly at the three women, wondering what they could do; they could deal with demons, but how could they deal with one of their friends? 

"What do we do? We can't leave her like this, but we can't hurt her either!" cried Skuld, panicking, turning to her sisters, only to see that Urd was nowhere in sight.

It seemed Urd had decided to take matters in her own hands. She was in her room, frantically searching her potions, herbs and powders. The goddess soon found what she needed, and flew right back outside. No time to be running.

Outside, Belldandy was trying to talk to Leamen, trying to reach the woman inside the beast. But it didn't seem to work, as the berserk woman was now relentlessly tearing down the fence, heading for the cherry tree.

Urd then sped out the temple, quickly going to her young sister.

"I need one of your bombs! Weakest one you've got! NOW!" 

Skuld only nodded, the urgency in her sister's tone restraining her from making any comments. She instead fished a small bomb out of her pocket and handed it to Urd. The eldest goddess quickly covered the little artifact with a yellowish powder.

Urd lost no time as she took a few quick steps forward, motioning for Belldandy to get back. 

"Keiichi, cover your nose!"

He didn't lose a second and did as he was told.

Urd put as much strength as she could in this pitch. The throw found its mark, a few feet away from Leamen. The berserk goddess was destroying the last few bits of the fence. She didn't have time to turn around, as the bomb exploded right when it touched the ground a few feet away from her. A yellowish cloud formed and engulfed Leamen. 

"Right on!" shouted Urd.

A savage growl came from the cloud of smoke, and Leamen staggered out, growled at Urd. She was about to pounce, when she brought her hand to her head, groaned, and fell to the ground with a thump.

The cloud of smoke was now gone, and time seemed to stand still as the three goddesses and Keiichi stared at Leamen's fallen form, unsure of what to do. Skuld was the first to break the spell; she broke into a run and crouched beside the unconscious goddess. Skuld checked Leamen's back.

"Urd! You hurt her! Her back is bleeding!"

"Well, it's your own fault for giving me the wrong kind of bomb!" Urd snapped back, crouching beside Skuld. Belldandy and Keiichi soon joined them.

"Um…What happened?" asked a confused Keiichi.

"I put sleeping powder on the bomb…I might have overdone it in my hurry, just as Skuld might have picked the wrong bomb in her haste…" replied Urd.

Keiichi looked at Belldandy. She did not say a word; she looked thoughtful. She then extended her hand over the wound. A pink glow surrounded the goddess's hand, and the wound slowly closed itself. Belldandy sighed softly. 

"We better get her inside, it's getting chilly…" Keiichi softly said, as he helped Belldandy to her feet, while Urd used a low gravity spell to raise Leamen's limp body from the ground and easily carried her in, followed by Skuld.

Disclaimer: I don't own the © copyright Keiichi, Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and any 

other OMG character. I only own the © copyright (2001) to Leamen and her parents. I don't own wolf concepts either. Many thanks to Liz Holt for her help! Thanks to Senbei too, for helping out with editing. ^-^


	6. Chapter 5

  
  
Time Will Tell  
Chapter 5  
  
It was now thirty minutes past eleven. Both Ayame and Ichiro glanced at the clock nervously. They couldn't help but worry. They knew. They knew they worried too much. Both of them were aware of it now.  
  
Leamen had been gone for over two hours... They both silently and nervously paced the kitchen, sometimes wandering into the living room then going back to the kitchen. Ichiro was the first one to jump on the phone when it rang, almost tripping over Nikkou, who was pacing as well. The phone didn't need to ring twice.  
  
"Yes?" he answered quickly.  
  
"Hello… uh… this is Morisato Keiichi. I live at the temple a few blocks away from your home. Please don't worry about your daughter; she's here. We think she must have been dizzy or something; we found her unconscious near the temple."  
  
"Is she alright? Is she awake? Let me talk to her!" Ichiro shouted urgently into the phone.  
  
"She hasn't awakened yet. We were planning on having her spend the night here; she seems to be sleeping pretty deeply, and we're not to sure about moving her around until she wakes up. But please don't worry, we'll take good care of her," Keiichi softly answered.  
  
"Okay… Can you call us when she wakes up, Mr. Morisato?" Ichiro asked.  
  
"Yes, it'll be the first thing we'll do when she comes to, don't worry!" Keiichi replied.  
  
"Thank you, Morisato." And with that Ichiro hung up the phone. Ayame immediately walked up to him, asking what was wrong with their daughter. He calmly explained what Morisato had told him. She was naturally furious, but she was even more worried…  
  
It was late, around one in the morning. Urd was watching TV at a very low volume. Keiichi was looking through catalogs for Whirlwind; he'd taken the day off. Skuld was in her room working on Banpei. And, of course, Belldandy was quietly seated besides the unconscious Leamen in a cozy bedroom, watching over her.  
  
She heard soft but distant voices at first. Soon, they got louder and louder. Leamen opened her eyes slowly, but regretted the action, as the soft light made her head hurt and spin.  
  
"Keiichi, Urd, Skuld! She woke up!" Belldandy called happily. "Are you alright, Leamen?" At this, Urd entered the room and both Keiichi and Skuld came running from their rooms.  
  
"Are you alright, Leamen?"  
  
It took her brain a while to understand the words that were spoken to her. She groaned a little as the words finally sunk in.  
  
"Ungh… yeah… sort of… what happened?" she asked, as she rubbed her forehead and shifted on the futon. Her back throbbed and felt sticky.  
  
"Well, you have learned of your origins, we've told you about that. There were things I didn't know about Lupi-jins. Or at least, of Lupi-jin hybrids…So while you were out, we requested a information file on your mother." Belldandy said. She paused for a second, and checked Leamen's back. The girl only stared back at her, confused. Then Belldandy continued speaking.  
  
"We found why Bil got with Zukkie. He wanted to study the powers she possessed. You see, Lupi-jins have the remarkable ability to shape shift. From what little information we gathered, as we suspected, Lupi-jins can have up to three forms. A humanoid form, the form of a wolf, and the form of a wolf walking on its hind legs; a werewolf, if you prefer. When Lupid-jins are born, they are born as humanoids, and later gain the ability to access their other form as they learn to fight, in order to protect their land and their tribes. This first transformation often occurs during battle and is triggered when the Lupi-jin male or female is either upset, or sees an ally in mortal danger. You were upset…were you not, Leamen?" Belldandy said, more as a fact than a question.  
  
"Yes…yes I was upset…and…it was hot too…My parents were being their overprotecting selves as usual…I had an argument with my dad, then I left…I got here…I looked up at the sky and saw the full moon…" she paused, wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "And then…I was trapped. Inside my own body."  
  
Urd then stepped into the conversation.  
  
"We think we might be a bit at fault too, though."  
  
"What? How so?" asked a confused blue haired goddess.  
  
"I think a number of factors are at cause here. For one, as Belldandy said, you were upset when you transformed. Secondly, the sight of the full moon might have charged up your Lupi-jin instinct. It was seeing something that was beyond it, something that was calling to it. And, there was also our proximity. Surely you were upset before, on full moon days."  
  
Leamen thought for a while, even though it made her head spin. Urd was right. There was always a day during the month during which everything annoyed her, and she'd punch just about anything or anyone. Those were probably full moon days…  
  
"Yeah…there are a few days during the month where I'm easily irritated…But what does that have to do with my current situation? This never happened before…"  
  
"Exactly. This is why I'm mentioning our proximity as a factor in this equation, Leamen. The fact that you were apparently drawn to us, and that our energies seemed to have touched, during the last few days…It seemed to be the missing element. Lupi-jins will often shape shift when they are with their kin, with their tribe. You can't shape shift; but there apparently is a wolf hidden in here," Urd said, as she poked Leamen gently on the chest, "even though it can't completely take over the body and transform it. And yesterday seemed the perfect opportunity for it to take control. You were upset, close to others like you, and the full moon called the wolf inside…"  
  
"Okay…but…what will I do if this happens again? If this entity takes control again?" the girl asked, a bit scared, though she tried to hide the fear that she knew was heavy around her. She wondered if the others saw it too…  
  
Belldandy smiled.  
  
"It should be alright. This is like everything else. When something happens for the first time, we are often taken by surprise, and our reaction is delayed. Since this was the first time that the Wolf was out, it took you by surprise. It should be fine though, if it happens again. You know what it's like, now, and you may even be able to tame that beast someday." Bell said gently.  
  
Keiichi smiled. Belldandy somehow always had the word to comfort, to reassure. He suddenly remembered something.  
  
"Oh, I told your parents I'd call them when you'd wake up! They're probably worried to death…" Keiichi quickly said, getting up to get the phone.  
  
"No! Not yet… I…I'll call them tomorrow," Leamen answered, "things aren't going so well…"  
  
"Okay…" Keiichi said, coming back to sit down again, next to Belldandy.  
  
"I will… thank you for taking care of me…" she said softly. She still wondered how and why she'd stumbled upon these guys…Leamen sighed softly, and moved her shoulders around. Her back felt sticky.  
  
Skuld noticed this.  
  
"Let me see your back…" the youngest sister said, more as an order than a question. Leamen obeyed, turned around and lifted the back of her bloodstained shirt. Skuld made a small face, and then grinned. She helped Leamen up without a word. The blue haired goddess turned and shot the rest of the group a questioning look.  
  
Skuld was taking Leamen to the bathroom. With a few chosen words, and a bit of magic, the tub was filled much quicker than normal, the water at a pleasant temperature.  
  
"Go on," Skuld said, indicating to the water with an extended hand. Leamen didn't look so sure, but her back really felt horrible. She briefly wondered what had happened as she undressed. Leamen looked around still, wondering if she'd feel that watching presence again. She sniffed the air.  
  
Leamen saw Skuld giving her a little look.  
  
"Em…sorry…I do that out of habit," she said, smiling sheepishly.  
  
Skuld gave her a small smile, helping her to ease in the water.  
  
The phone rang. Belldandy was busy in the kitchen; something to eat would do their guest good.  
  
It rang again, and Urd sighed. She got up from her spot in front of the TV and went to the phone to answer the call. Her irritated expression soon turned to a more solemn one.  
  
It was the Lord.  
  
"Belldandy, take the phone, the Lord wants to talk to you…" Urd said, covering the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand.  
  
Belldandy wiped her hands on her apron, and took the phone.  
  
"Yes, my Lord?"  
  
"Belldandy, some interesting facts have come to my attention. Those energy readings around your temple, is it not the missing goddess?" the Lord said in his deep, rich voice.  
"Yes, we---well, she found us, more so than we found her."  
  
"I am calling to ask you to do something about her, Leamen, is it? I need you to make her body that of a child's."  
"Alright, may I ask why such a procedure must be used?" Belldandy asked, the Lord's not quite clear to her.  
  
"If her powers fully awaken in her current body, it would cause her too much of a strain, since goddesses' powers usually awaken when their bodies are very young. I would also like you to find a seal for her. We need her to be functional as soon as possible. You may train her in the temple you live in. I will also take the necessary measure concerning the effects of her body change."  
  
"I understand…" she replied, deep in thought.  
  
"I look forward to having Leamen back with us." With that, he hung up. Belldandy hung up the phone. She turned and went to Keiichi, sitting beside him. She then explained everything to both him and Urd.  
  
Skuld carefully washed Leamen's back, scrubbing at the dried blood. They'd been in a comfortable silence for a while.  
  
"So," Skuld started, "what's your alternate energy source?" she asked.  
  
"My what?" Leamen said, driven out of her daze. The water sure felt nice on her skin. There was that presence again. She looked up slightly, and decided it was nothing.  
  
"You know… something you drink, or eat, or do when you feel very tired… I guess we forgot to mention that…" Skuld said softly. She rinsed the rag, and resumed her gentle scrubbing.  
  
"Ah… hmm…" Leamen pondered for a while. She stretched her arms a little, along with her feet.  
  
"Well… I really like Pepsi, but any sort of cola does the trick. I also like coffee, once in a while… but not too much, it's too bitter. I usually add tons of milk and lots of sugar to it." Leamen said, with a small grin on her face.  
  
"It must be caffeine then!" Skuld laughed, and then sighed.  
  
"Bend forward a little, I missed a spot…"  
  
"You're the boss…," Leamen said, bending forward as she had been told to.  
  
"Damn!" He cursed, as he saw her bend forwards in his basin, hiding the beautiful view he was getting. Though he did take the opportunity to take out the tissues that were crammed up his nostrils. He carelessly tossed it on top of the heap of blood soaked tissues beside his huge chair…  
  
"Come on, sit back and relax, sit back and relax…" he whispered to himself.  
  
Steadying himself, he kept watching her. Skuld was rubbing Leamen's back, washing the dried blood away.  
  
He passed a hand through his blood red hair, and smiled devilishly. He reached for his box of tissues and crammed three of them up his nose. Leamen had settled herself again, her body plainly in view. He would be patient, and would wait.  
  
She felt totally relaxed now. Skuld had finished washing her back, Leamen was now cleaning herself.  
  
"Funny…"she said, "these past few days, I've had the weird impression of constantly being watched…or I might just be paranoid…" Leamen said aloud.  
  
Skuld shrugged. She was now sitting next to the tub, happy to have someone to chat with.  
  
"It's probably only because you're having energy loss," she said. Her eyes suddenly lit up, "Ooh! When we're done, I'll go make you some coffee! Yeah!" Skuld said cheerfully.  
  
Leamen paused at this sudden outburst, a bit embarrassed.  
  
"Oh you really don't ha—"  
  
"I insist! Besides, you need your energy back, as your training will probably start soon. You need to be at your best!"  
  
"Oh… I see…" Leamen said, except she didn't.  
  
"Which kind do you prefer? I'm sorry I can't get any soda…"Skuld said, slightly disappointed. The thought struck her so suddenly she thought she'd fall on her face. She was a genius! She could actually build a machine to make the stuff! Oh sure, it had already been done by some other companies, but one could never get the quality of the bought product. Of course, being a true genius, she'd make it perfect. Some habits never died, and that was always Skuld's trademark, though she was maturing.  
  
"Thinking of it, I can actually make some soda for you, I'll just build a machine! It'll give you a perfect product, you won't tell the difference between that and the original!" Skuld chimed triumphantly. She took a step back as Leamen stepped out of the tub.  
  
The young woman did something quite unexpected. She bent slightly forward, and shook her entire body, like a wolf or a dog, when it's drenched to the bone. Skuld brought her hands up to protect herself from the attacking pellets of water. Skuld then pointed to the towel siting on the edge of the tub. Leamen grinned, a bit embarrassed, picking up the towel and drying the rest of the water from her body.  
  
"I'm sorry about that Skuld, baths always seem to get to me more than showers do…I always feel too soaked for my own good," the woman said, looking around for a place to store the wet towel.  
  
Skuld took it and put it in the basket behind her.  
  
"We need to find you some clothes now, don't we?"  
  
Leamen smiled at her, her tail slightly swishing the air behind her. She still couldn't' remodel her clothes, though she had learned of it from the others. Leamen couldn't wait to start her training…  
  
Skuld then reentered the bathroom, holding some of Keiichi's. These would have to do, even though they seemed a bit small; Leamen was still 5'9" tall…  
  
Leamen slowly put the sweater on, and then put the jogging pants on. They were supposed to cover her entire legs, but the pant legs ended over the middle portion of her calves. She then followed Skuld out of the bathroom a bit awkwardly; her tail was sticking out of the pants all wrong.  
  
Urd was mixing a few potions in her room. She had concocted all sorts of new love potions she'd keep for later use. She raised her head from her work as she heard the bathroom door open and heard the shuffling of feet on the floor.  
  
"Hey, feeling any better?" Urd asked.  
  
"Yes, thank you. Keiichi's clothes are rather comfortable too!" Leamen replied with a giggle, as she showed Urd that she was wearing his sweater and pants.  
  
Urd tried not to laugh; Keiichi was truly short…  
  
Leamen then went to the phone, glancing Skuld's way, as if asking if she could use it. Skuld only smiled nodded, then headed to her room to make that perfect soda-making machine.  
  
Leamen picked up the receiver and dialed her number. It rang…and rang… and rang. There was no answer.  
Leamen hung up the phone, thinking they were probably sleeping, as it was getting very late. She shrugged and headed for the Tearoom. Urd followed her, still trying not to laugh at how awkward Leamen looked. She had to see this…  
  
Belldandy sat in the Tearoom with Keiichi. She wondered if it really was a good thing to turn Leamen back into a child. They didn't know how she'd react, if she'd be the mature girl they knew, or if she'd react as a 7-year-old girl. The Lord's orders could not be disobeyed, and his reasons probably were more important than they knew.  
  
Urd then entered with Leamen, they both sat down with them. Belldandy was quick to ask questions.  
  
"How do you feel? Any better?" Bell asked her.  
  
"Yes, thank you," Leamen replied, "Oh, and thank you also for the clothes you lent me, Keiichi."  
  
"It's no big deal, we're lucky that my clothes are baggy, since you're a bit taller than I am…though it didn't seem to help for the pants," Keiichi noted, looking at the short pant legs, smiling.  
  
"Belldandy, what did the Lord call for?" Urd asked as she looked at the back of Leamen's pants. Leamen's eyes went wide as the material ripped, and a careful hand slipped her tail through the fresh hole. She turned and thanked Urd, who sat beside her.  
  
Belldandy looked in her cup of tea, wondering how she would bring the subject. She decided to spill it all directly.  
  
"It is about Leamen's training. The Lord has given me permission to train her here, but he also wants us to turn her body back into that of a child's. He said that to train in her present body would cause too much of a strain," she paused, risking a glance at the godddess, "Is this okay with you, Leamen? You can always back out, we can find another way…" Belldandy said, even though she knew that there wasn't much of a choice.  
  
Leamen pondered a little, she didn't really want to be turned into a kid, but she really wanted to start her training. She briefly wondered how her parents, and everyone she knew, would react…  
  
"I don't mind, Belldandy, but what about my parents, and the people at the University?"  
  
"Don't worry about that, Leamen, the Lord said he would take the necessary measures so that it wouldn't shock people," Belldandy answered reassuringly.  
  
Keiichi yawned, and got up, excusing himself. He stretched for a brief moment. It was getting very late, and he had work at Whirlwind the next day… Belldandy kissed him goodnight as he went off to bed. A blush colored her cheeks.  
  
Urd then got up also. Leamen thought she was leaving for bed too, but she came to Leamen instead.  
  
"I will be the one performing the spell, Leamen. Since my element is the past, I will be the one to change your body. Please stand up." Urd said. Leamen nodded and got up. Urd brought her hands up, concentrating. Her breathing slowed, as if she was sleeping.  
  
"Threads of the past… remember the path you once took…"  
  
The lights seemed to dim. Belldandy looked around, making sure all the doors and windows were closed, so no one would be able to peek inside. A magic circle appeared on the floor, and Belldandy quickly moved any object that would get in the way. An eerie glow formed around the two women in the center of the room. Leamen rose a few inches off the floor as a soft blue glow surrounded her body.  
  
"I, Urd, Goddess of the Past, order you to once again walk this road!" Small beams of blue light shot out of the magic circle, heading straight for the floating woman. The glow surrounding Leamen's body and the magic circle's beams, all sank into her completely.  
  
Once the blue light had disappeared, her body started changing. Her chest could be seen flattening, as the sweater got larger and larger. Her head seemed to get a little smaller, and her face became slightly rounded. Her markings also seemed to take more space on her forehead and at the corner of her eyes. She looked rather freakish at the moment; her upper body was that of a kid, but the lower half of it was still that of a woman's. Her legs then started shortening, making her pants large enough for two people. Her tail also shortened and the hair shortened on it; it seemed younger.  
  
Leamen now had a 7-year-old body.  
  
She floated down and Urd caught her; she was afraid of falling to the floor now. Leamen smiled at Urd, her large blue eyes holding the innocence of the child she'd become.  
  
Urd set her down carefully. Leamen walked around a few steps, the sweater's sleeves dangling. She giggled, her voice clear and slightly higher than usual. Leamen made little patterns with her feet on the floor, but she stepped on her now too long pant legs and fell forwards. She yelped, but didn't hit the floor. Her tail did its balance-keeping job. Instead, Leamen fell backwards on her butt and let her body drop to the floor, her back producing a slight thumping sound as it made contact with the floor's wooden planks.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Belldandy softly.  
  
"Yeah," Leamen said cheerfully. She sat up and looked at herself for the first time.  
  
She smiled softly, something that she'd apparently kept from her older self.  
  
"It feels good to be like this once more. My mind isn't so clouded with worry and doubt anymore," she said looking up to Belldandy and Urd, "Thank you."  
  
"All done!" chimed Skuld as she entered the room. Banpei followed her, carrying her newest invention.  
  
She almost tripped over Leamen, who had unconsciously sat right in front of the door. Skuld caught herself at the last second. She looked down at the kid looking up at her.  
  
"Leamen?" she asked, not sure if her eyes were seeing what she thought she was seeing. A genuine smile answered her question.  
  
"What happened to you?" Skuld asked, sitting down in front of her, Banpei mimicking his creator. Leamen shot Banpei a curious glance. She had seen him before, but her curiosity overwhelmed her. Leamen got up and tapped Banpei's helmet, he beeped and she fell back, laughing.  
  
"We forgot to tell you Skuld;" said Urd nonchalantly, "Lord's orders. We still don't know what her reactions will be to all of this, but as of now she seems to be the same, as in intelligence, except she giggles a lot more and she seems a lot more energetic…"  
  
"Now you tell me!" Skuld said, slightly exasperated, "Whoa! Leamen, don't do that!"  
  
Leamen was sitting on top of Banpei's head, smiling. The robot didn't seem to mind. Leamen then jumped from her sitting position and landed directly in Skuld's arms, crushing her into a tight hug. This surprised Skuld at first, the child jumping into the air, extracting shocked little screams from everyone. She returned the hug after a second of hesitation.  
  
The child let go of her, and gave a curious glance at what Banpei held in his thick-gloved hands.  
  
"What's that? Leamen asked, grinning, trying to see what it was. Of course, she knew it was the machine Skuld had said she'd build, but she couldn't help it.  
  
Skuld grinned, and took the small white machine in her hands. She set it on the table, which Belldandy had put back in place, and pressed a few buttons. Leamen was kneeling in front of it, watching it, not wanting to lose a minute of what was happening. The little machine hummed for a few seconds. It then made a clear beeping noise, much like Banpei's voice. Something then came out of the rounded opening. Leamen pushed herself forward, trying to get a better view.  
  
A cold can of soda popped out of the machine. The white can simply held Skuld's forehead marking as its logo. Skuld took it in her hands, popped it open and handed it to Leamen. The young girl took it and sniffed it. Her eyes lit up as recognition sank in. She smiled widely and thanked Skuld about a dozen times, before she brought the can to her lips and drank. The can was empty about a minute later.  
  
The little machine hummed and beeped for about thirty more minutes before Leamen was finally satisfied. One little thing bugged her though.  
  
"Belldandy?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, what is it?" Belldandy replied, looking at her fondly. This brought back old memories…  
  
"Um… in my current condition, what will I do about school?"  
  
"Don't worry. Give me the name of one of your teachers, and I'll make sure he gives me your homework and projects."  
  
"Oh, oh! In the French class, you can ask Ken! Remember him? Brown hair and blue eyes! He's my friend, he can give you the stuff I need!" Leamen said, excited. She missed him a bit already, she knew she probably wouldn't see much of him in the next few days.  
  
"Okay, Nakamura Ken, was it not?" Bell said, smiling.  
  
The alarm clock made its sickening melody ring once again at six-thirty, as it did every morning. Ichiro gave it a light tap, to shut it up. Ayame stretched, then got up. She dressed for work and headed to the kitchen to fix breakfast. Ayame came back into the room at seven o'clock.  
  
"Ichiro, get up honey, your breakfast is getting cold," she whispered in his ear. His response was a light groan, and a few seconds later his head and body emerged out of the bed. He also got dressed for work.  
  
"We have to call that temple," he said as he came out of the room, buttoning his shirt, "I hope she's fine, she apparently took a nasty fall from her skateboard yesterday."  
  
"Yes, eat your breakfast, and I'll make the call," she said as he sat down at the table and as she headed for the phone, picking up the phone book as she went. Keiichi had forgotten to leave his number in his haste, the night before.  
  
Belldandy was fixing breakfast for everyone as the phone rang. She was sure it was Leamen's parents. She went to it and picked it up.  
  
"Hello, Morisato residence,"  
  
"Hello? My name is Ayame, Leamen's mother. A man called us yesterday and told us our daughter fell off her skateboard, close to the temple. Is she alright?" Ayame asked on the other end of the line.  
  
"Yes, yes she's doing great. We patched her knees up; they should heal up nicely. I'll call her so she can come and talk with you." replied Belldandy.  
  
"Thank you, Miss." Belldandy smiled and covered the mouthpiece with her hand.  
  
"Leamen? Come here and take the phone, it's your mother!" Leamen came running, Skuld holding her hand and Banpei right behind her. He was wearing makeup and all sorts of ribbons. Leamen had apparently let herself explore her young mind…She picked up the phone quickly, a huge smile on her face.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Good morning honey, are you okay? Did you sleep well?" Ayame asked, gentler than usual.  
  
"I'm okay, Mommy, I fell hard, but I'm okay now!" the girl said, rather quickly. Belldandy wondered if she'd been such a fast talker, when she was truly seven years old.  
  
"Good, I'm glad to hear that honey," Ayame replied.  
  
"Mommy? Can I spend the day here? I'm having lots of fun with the guys here! Pretty please?" the girl asked, her eyes full of hope.  
  
"Alright, but we want you back for the night okay? Consider yourself lucky young girl, you'd be back here right now if your knees didn't hurt so much, and besides, you seem to like it there." Ayame answered. The sweet tone of Belldandy's voice had somehow wiped away the motherly concern she felt about her child.  
  
"Okay! Thanks Mommy! Buh-bye!"  
  
"Bye, honey, have a nice day!" Ayame said.  
  
Leamen hung up the phone, smiling.  
  
"It worked! The Lord replaced their memory!" she said cheerfully.  
  
Belldandy smiled. Now they'd have to see what the Lord had come up for Leamen's peers at the University.  
  
"Yes, I'm glad since we won't have to explain all of this," Bell said. The goddess jumped suddenly and ran back to the kitchen. She was totally forgetting about breakfast.  
  
She called from the kitchen.  
  
"Leamen, can you go wake Keiichi up please?"  
  
"Okay!" Leamen said as she bounded off to Keiichi's room.  
  
Keiichi was taking a nice walk home with Belldandy, helping her out, she was having trouble walking, her round belly an extra weight. Their day had been perfect. First, they had breakfast in a restaurant by the ocean. They had then visited ranch and got the chance to ride beautiful horses. They were almost home when Belldandy suddenly jumped on him and pinned him down and looked deep into his eyes.  
  
"What are you doing Bell?" he said in a muffled voice. His face had gone completely red and he just hoped she'd stop crushing him. He opened his eyes to see Leamen on all fours, on him, pinning him down. Too bad it was just a dream…  
  
"AGH!" he cried, shocked.  
  
"AAAAAH!" she cried back, "GOOD MORNING!"  
  
The child got off him, and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. That's when he got a good look at her. His eyes went wide.  
  
"What happened to you?" he said, wondering why Leamen seemed to be one eighth of her size.  
  
"Urd turned me into a child because the Lord said so…didn't Belldandy tell you about that?" she said.  
  
"Oh true…sorry…my head's rather foggy this morning…" he answered. He got up and Leamen left the room, letting him get dressed. She patiently waited beside his door. Keiichi came out fully dressed, and she followed him to the kitchen. Breakfast was ready; Belldandy was just finishing serving the rice. He sat at the table and looked at the food, his mouth watering. Giving Belldandy his many thanks once again, he dug in. Urd and Skuld came in, and Urd bopped Keiichi lightly on the head.  
  
"You could've waited for us," she said playfully. She sat down with Skuld, and both started eating after thanking their sister.  
  
The birds were chirping outside, and the sun shone brightly. Belldandy smiled.  
  
"Does a walk in the woods sounds good to you? We could go when we're finished eating breakfast. " Belldandy said, her eyes sparkling lightly. She clearly had something on her mind.  
  
"That sounds great Bell, I should have enough time before I go to work." he said.  
  
"Okay! The fresh air will do us good!" Leamen said, between two mouthfuls of food. She was eating her second serving.  
  
Leamen swallowed, then jumped on Skuld, hugging her tight. Skuld almost dropped her food, but she returned the mark of affection; it felt weird to her because she usually was the one giving the hugs, especially to her big sister Belldandy.  
  
"Did you hear? We're going in the woods! You want to go with me? Please?" Leamen pleaded.  
  
Urd told them she'd pass, there was this movie she really didn't want to miss, and the potions… but she didn't tell them about that.  
  
When breakfast was over, Leamen packed her arms with all of the plates, easily carrying them back to the kitchen. Even though her body had diminished in size, her physical strength didn't change that much, and her balance remained perfect, thanks to her tail.  
  
Keiichi then brought her to his room and made her choose the clothes she'd like to wear. Leamen chose a dark green T-shirt, a white sweater with a wrench logo on it, and red pants. Keiichi was lucky since she had chosen the pair of pants that he didn't wear anymore. Skuld came in to help her out as Keiichi left. The clothes were so large for her that Skuld had to help her to put them on, and turned up her cuffs. Skuld then took a pair of scissors and carefully made a little hole in the back of the pants, so Leamen could let her tail loose.  
  
Skuld then brought Leamen into the Tearoom. She carefully combed the child's hair, and fastened it into a ponytail. Skuld told her to wait a few seconds and got some elastic bands. She made three braids with Leamen's ponytail. These she tied up.  
  
"There! We're all ready to go!" Skuld said.  
  
"Yay!" Leamen cheered as she went to the lobby to put her shoes on, shoes that Belldandy had shrunk so they'd still fit. Keiichi and Belldandy did the same.  
  
The four of them left the temple and headed to the nearest forest.  
  



End file.
